


Teasing, Tents, and Cheesy Romances

by mos



Category: The 100 (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:37:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mos/pseuds/mos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's springtime at Camp Jaha. Winter is over and Abby and Marcus's flirting is out of control.</p>
<p>(Takes place after Clarke's safety and location is known and the ALIE situation is over, because let's face it, these two idiots would never be so lighthearted if there was a crisis going on.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

With the arrival of spring to Camp Jaha, there came an abundance of new things that Earth provided for the Arkers to explore: birds twittering, trees sprouting leaves, and flowers emerging from the ground in the meadow. The ground thawed into mud and the creeks and rivers pushed their banks... and Marcus Kane began washing himself in the yard before dawn.

Abby liked to get up to watch the sun rise every morning, taking pleasure in the streaks of pinks and yellows in the sky behind the trees. Or so she told herself, anyway. It was only a coincidence that Marcus rose to wash some mornings at that time, of course. She was pleased to see him there this morning, shirtless with beads of water sliding in rivulets down his shoulders and back, bent over a bucket in the yard, washing his hair.

Fuck.

Abby groaned, but continued on her way to watch the sunrise, which meant nonchalantly walking past him with nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement. It was an act that she'd perfected, along with sneaking in a glance at his body. It was after the massacre in the mountain that something had changed between them. Neither had voiced their feelings, but they both knew they were there, and despite everything, a lightness had settled between them. She'd found herself smiling in his presence more often than not, and on many an evening when they shared dinner together, caught his eyes wandering to her lips.

She'd long since acknowledged her desire for him, but with the snow and the close quarters inside the station, and finding Clarke and defeating the crazy AI, there hadn't been any time for anything between them. One time in the snow he'd almost kissed her, but they'd been interrupted, and at that point there had been too much else going on.

Which meant, of course, that with things finally settled and their people filtering out of the crammed quarters inside the station to set up tents outside, Abby's thoughts of late had begun to turn more and more to him. The fantasies that had gotten her through so many cold winter nights were no longer enough. She wanted the real thing.

Just not right now. Maybe tomorrow.

"Abby," he called, as she walked by, after nodding and sneaking her glance. Biting back another groan, she stopped and turned to face him, him with his wet hair and water running down his body. She contemplated walking over and licking it up, and smirked at picturing his reaction. He was so closed with his thoughts, her Marcus, but she was sure he wouldn't have objected.

"What?" she asked.

"We need to talk about the expedition."

She watched a droplet run past his nipple, then forced herself to keep her eyes on his face. "We'll talk about it later, after you put a shirt on."

His lips turned up in a smile. "Or you could take yours off and call it even."

"We'd get hypothermia."

"That wouldn't be so bad, considering the treatment."

_Earth Skills 101, Cold Weather Survival, Chapter Seven: In cases of hypothermia where no warm fluids are available, skin to skin contact is sometimes an effective treatment. After removing clothing, insulate both parties with blankets or by sharing a sleeping bag, using the body heat of the non-hypothermic patient to warm the hypothermic patient. Use as much skin to skin contact as possible._

Abby felt herself blushing. Marcus was grinning at her, the shit. At that moment, Monty Green shuffled sleepily by, muttering something that sounded a lot like _Oh my god, get married._ Abby wasn't sure at what point during the winter she and Marcus had started flirting, but she found that she enjoyed it immensely. The people of Camp Jaha, however, did not.

Settling for shooting Marcus a smirk, Abby went on her way. He joined her toward the end of the sunrise, hair finger-combed and shirt and jacket back on. She wondered what he'd do if she asked him to take them off again.

"When do you want to go to the mountain?" he asked.

The snow had come too early to salvage much more than food and a few useful supplies from Mount Weather, and as soon as the way was passable again, they'd sent a group to check for any other invaders and to secure the place. Abby didn't think the grounders would want anything to do with it, and she was right, for it had sat empty all winter. They'd begun an inventory of supplies, but Abby wanted to go herself to take stock of the medical supplies. One or the other of her and Marcus had been needed in camp these last few weeks, but now that things had settled, they'd been talking about making a trip together.

An overnighter trip.

There was no question about them going together. Marcus was one of the few people who knew about the nightmares that sometimes came to her in the dark, and she wanted him by her side when she went back there.

"Anytime, I suppose," she replied. The latest team had gotten back three days ago.

"How does two days from now sound?"

"Sounds like a date."

She turned to him with a smile, only to find herself caught up in one of those moments where they sat there looking stupidly at each other for way too long. She watched his eyes flit to her lips, and wondered what he was waiting for. Moreover, what was she waiting for? Last she'd checked, she was perfectly capable of kissing him and seducing him herself. While she'd contemplated it many times, the setting had never seemed right, and the comfort between them was... well, comforting.

Besides, she wanted him to cave and kiss her first.


	2. Chapter 2

As their departure day had grown closer, Abby had found her thoughts drifting to the mountain more often than not, a creeping dread starting somewhere around her shoulders and settling in her gut. She woke last night bathed in sweat from a nightmare in which she was back on the table, only this time they were drilling into her belly, right through her gut and into her spine. She woke trying to scream and walked around for an hour before being able to go back to sleep.

Now that they had nearly reached the mountain, she was determined to beat her fears. Facing the mountain would take away its power. Marcus had taken hold of her hand sometime ago as they drew closer, and she was grateful for the contact.

The little meadow outside the small metal door made the place seem harmless, and she concentrated on that thought as Marcus dug through his pack for flashlights. In her mind, she ticked off the good points: sure it was dark and creepy, but at least she wouldn't have to visit the dormitory where they'd drilled into her legs, because that had been sealed off after being turned into a tomb. They also didn't have to worry about any grounders lurking inside, because the grounders were no longer a problem now that her daughter was their new commander. Abby still only had a vague idea of what had happened between Clarke's disappearance and the letter she'd sent from Polis a few months later, but from what she gathered, Lexa had been killed by her own people and Clarke's single-handed mountain massacre had made her a hero in their eyes.

It lessened Abby's anxiousness, knowing that Clarke was safe and protected. With her mind free from worry, her thoughts had gradually turned to Marcus, who had no idea that her increasingly dirty fantasies about him had kept her warm over the latter half of the winter.

"Here."

He handed her a flashlight, one of the wind-up kind that was also solar-charged, and then walked forward and pulled open the heavy metal door. Heart pounding, she stepped up beside him, clicking on the flashlight and sending a beam down the dark hallway. It was harmless, she told herself.

_Fake it till you make it_ , Raven's advice had been.

"Ready?" Marcus asked. He reached out and took her free hand, squeezing it.

"Ready," she replied, and together they stepped inside.

Abby felt herself relax the further they went into the mountain. The hallway was sparse and cold, and so quiet that their footsteps lightly echoed down the corridor. After awhile the darkness didn't seem so bad. They'd entered on the medical level, which Abby was grateful for, because it put an entire floor between her and the tomb.

The first supply run, led by Marcus, had also been a mission to lay the dead to rest. It being impossible to dig by hand a mass grave large enough to fit three hundred and fifty bodies, Marcus and his team had entombed them in the dormitory and welded the doors shut. It had taken a day and a half to drag them all there, piling them upon each other with the children on top. A horrific task, but cathartic in a way, Marcus had said. It was the last good thing they could do for the mountain men.

The medical level consisted of a quarantine wing, several labs, storage, and a treatment centre that attached to the room with the cages and beyond that, the mines. There were several other rooms in the mines, Marcus had told her, where the reapers had been held and created and the first drillings had occurred. Whatever was in those rooms could stay there, so far as Abby was concerned.

"Okay?" Marcus asked, hand coming to rest lightly on her lower back as they entered the storage area. It wasn't so bad now that he'd found a lantern in one of the hallways, probably left there on a previous visit. The brightness made everything less frightening.

She nodded and stepped inside. The lantern lit the room well. The refrigerated section was a total loss, as expected. Her mind quickly switched to work mode as she began with the nearest cupboard. It was clear that they had been well stocked at one time, and she wondered if they'd had strict rationing rules like the Ark. There were some medications she wasn't familiar with, and a quick search turned up two computer tablets in another cupboard, which she handed over to Marcus to search through for a drug guide.

"Contraceptives," she said aloud, when she reached the bottom shelf. She was pleased to see that there were several implants there, as well as pills for both men and women. There was also a box there marked EXPIRED, and out of curiosity she pulled it out and opened it.

"Anything interesting?" Marcus asked. He was leaning against the cabinets, eyes on the tablet screen in his hands. There was something in his posture and intentness that was incredibly sexy, and she let her gaze linger on him for a moment before turning back to the box and pawing through it.

"Condoms," she replied. They didn't have those on the Ark. "Why would they keep expired condoms?"

"Maybe they're still good for oral sex."

"That would kind of take the fun out of it, don't you think?"

Silence. She glanced at him again to find that his eyes had left the screen and were now looking at her with that same intentness as before, and something else. Speculation. The effect on her was instant: tingling hot all over, centering low in her belly, her nipples hardening. God, why did he have to look at her like that?

It also didn't escape her that she was kneeling on the floor and he was standing, and all he'd have to do was take a few steps across the room to her, and all she'd have to do was rise up a little and unzip his pants-

He cleared his throat and fixed his eyes back on the tablet screen. "Most definitely," he replied.

Flustered, she reined in her wandering thoughts and turned to rifle through the box some more. In the very bottom was a folder of papers. Pulling it out, she flipped it open in hopes of finding some kind of useful information, but instead found a sheaf of pornographic drawings.

"What else would be in a box full of condoms?" she muttered. There were five drawings total, all of them very... interesting.

"What's that?" Marcus asked absently.

"Art," she replied. "The pornographic kind."

Instantly, Marcus's head snapped up, and she stood up to show him as he set aside the tablet and crossed the room to see. She was intensely aware of the heat of his body as he came to stand next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers, an action that, in that moment, seemed almost more sensual than the dirty drawings in her hand.

They flipped through them like a couple of teenagers who'd stolen them. The first drawing was of a woman touching herself, all awkward angles, the body well drawn but the rest not as defined. It was the same for the next three, different women in different positions, the men even less defined than the women. The last one, though... the last one was almost perfect. Almost.

"The hands are wrong," she said.

"They look fine to me," Marcus replied.

"Seriously?" She couldn't help a snort. "He only drew them out to the sides like that because if they'd been where they should be, they would have blocked the breasts."

"And where should they be?" He sounded amused, and she didn't dare look at him. Why the hell was she looking at sex drawings with Marcus, anyway? All it was doing was making her want to tear his clothes off, which wasn't exactly a bad thing, but she was not having sex with him inside this godforsaken mountain. Not a chance.

"On his head," she replied, keeping her tone casual, "or tangled in his hair. Guiding him."

There was a heavy pause, and he hummed thoughtfully before he spoke. "No," he said, his tone now carefully even as well, "she can do that with her hips. They should be restrained, somehow. Tied above her head, maybe. Giving him control."

And in that moment, she realized that Marcus Kane had not only thought about going down on her, but had thought about it more than once, and in great detail. The realization had an instant effect on her body, and her mind immediately pictured him with his head buried between her legs, his tongue and lips bringing her to a shuddering, screaming orgasm, and yes, her hands tied above her head, completely helpless...

Bloody hell, she needed a cold shower.

It was a complete mistake to look over at him, because he was looking at her in that eye-fucking kind of way again. She felt her cheeks grow warm, but held his gaze. He stared back for a moment before a corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. Oh, he'd thought about it all right.

Shoving the folder at him, she turned back to the cupboard. After a moment, he dropped the folder into the box and crossed the room again, and she let out a heavy breath and told herself to get a grip.

A few hours later, their inventory of the storage rooms completed, they moved on to the treatment centre. Most of the larger equipment would have to stay, but she put most of the smaller things on her list. They then moved on to the room with the beds, the one with the tubes running into the far wall. The place creeped her out.

"Do you want to check the room with the cages?" Marcus asked. "There were supplies in there as well."

"No," Abby replied, turning to the cabinet, shelves, and table against the wall opposite the beds. She had enough things to have nightmares about.

Not wanting to spend more time than she had to in the room, she did a quick count of the supplies, making note of them and moving on as fast as possible. There was a little cupboard in the far corner that Marcus had already reached, containing assorted nonmedical supplies, things to entertain those confined to the beds. On the bottom shelf was a stack of books.

While Abby rifled through various items, Marcus picked a book off the top of the stack. The cover was creased and had been taped at least twice, and when he opened it, a chunk of pages started to slide out.

" _Camping for Beginners_ ," Marcus read, flipping through the book after shoving the pages back in. "Who would do this for fun?"

He threw the book back on the stack and wandered away, and she shook her head. All of the books were in poor shape, but the camping one might be at least a bit useful, and as for the rest... well, all of the books on the Ark were digital and these were a novelty that the people would enjoy. Abby carefully set the stack in the box of things to take back to camp and turned back to the cupboard.

There was one more book there, shoved in the corner behind the rest. It was in horrific shape, even worse than the rest, but she picked it up anyway. The two figures on the cover were entwined in an embrace, the man with long flowing hair and the woman with her head tipped back, gazing at him in adoration. Intrigued, Abby flipped it open to a random page.

_"You'll never take me!" Tessa gasped, but Captain Brock's mouth crushed down upon hers once more, his manhood pressing into her thigh as-_

Abby slammed the book shut. This one was definitely coming back to camp, but no way was anyone else going to know it. Casting a glance back at Marcus, who was looking at the shelves beside the beds, Abby waited until he turned away before shoving it to the bottom of her box and covering it.

"Find anything interesting?" Marcus asked.

"Nope," Abby replied, smiling to herself as she straightened. "I'm just about done here. Are you hungry?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had this dream in which Kabby was having a conversation about oral sex and Abby realized that Marcus had definitely thought about it with her (dreams are weird) so that's where that scene came from.


	3. Chapter 3

They grabbed a tent, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags from one of the warehouses and took them to the little meadow outside the iron door on the medical level. Abby had no desire to sleep inside that place, and Marcus seemed just as happy to camp out as well. She left him to set up the tent and took a moment to breathe in the evening air, so sweet compared to the stale, dank air of the bunker.

Then she walked over to the camera on a small post that was still in the meadow and proceeded to kick it over. However certain she was that the lack of power and the winter would have rendered it useless, she still didn't want to sleep next to it.

"I could have gotten you an axe," Marcus called, as she kicked the thing one last time for good measure.

"My boot works just as well," she replied, turning to face him. He nearly had the thing up, but she went over anyway and helped put the fly on.

The tent smelled inside, like stale air and dampness, but it was over a hundred years old and should probably have been expected. After arranging the sleeping pads and bags, she climbed inside and he followed. By that time she sunset was well underway and weariness had begun to creep into her body. Marcus removed his jacket and boots and immediately climbed into his sleeping bag, while she spent a few extra minutes combing out her hair with her fingers before removing her boots and socks and doing the same.

The tent seemed suddenly smaller, his body close next to her. He'd suggested separate tents originally, but Mount Weather was full of bad memories and evil, and for her, the safest place in the world was next to him, and not just because he was the head of security and good with a gun.

At least, that was the excuse she'd given him for sharing a tent. The other part of it was that she wanted to know what he'd do when they were finally well and truly alone. She was sure she'd been sending all the right signals for him to move beyond random hand-holding, and yet... nothing.

Which meant that it was time to play hardball.

"This is a three person tent, Marcus," Abby said. "Move over."

"Are you sure? It's pretty small."

"It's not that small. You're practically on top of me."

He chuckled as he wiggled to the side, giving her more room. She'd been half-hoping for a flirty response, but he said nothing. Half of her was annoyed, because apparently no amount of hinting from her would get him to make a move, despite their close relationship. The other half of her was amused, because sharing a tent with him was as good a time as ever to find out just how far she could push him until he did make a move. It had taken her being tortured for him to hold her hand, after all.

She sat up and began taking off her jacket, playing at nonchalance.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" she replied. "Look, I'm sorry, but I can't sleep in my clothes."

There was a pause. "What?"

She didn't dare look at him for fear of laughing. "You heard me."

With her jacket disposed of, she undid her pants and wiggled them off while still in the sleeping bag. She swore she could feel Marcus's eyes on her, but when she glanced at him, he was staring at the roof. With her pants off, she decided to go for the kill. She took off her shirt.

Marcus cleared his throat. Another glance showed that his eyes were closed, but there was no way that he wouldn't peek, so she took her time in shedding her bra and replacing her shirt. Letting out a sigh with a hint of a moan thrown in, she laid back down and stretched before making herself comfortable in her sleeping bag again.

While they lay there in silence, she contemplated her next move. The tent didn't allow for anything other than ridiculous, so...

"Are you just going to lay there?" she asked. "Or are you going to make a move?"

"I knew it," he said. It was dark in the tent, but she could make out his smile. His eyes were closed, and he didn't move a muscle.

Frustrated, she rolled over onto her side, deciding to call it a night. She was tired anyway. No sooner had she closed her eyes than an arm wrapped around her, and she was tugged backwards against him. Smiling, she shifted closer, deciding that spooning was as good a move as any. It was a step up from hand holding, at least.

"Well," she said, feeling a little sleepy now herself, "maybe by next year we'll be having sex."

"Silly woman," he replied sleepily. "That's why I love you."

She swore her heart skipped a beat, and there was a pause of silence.

"Oops."

She was smiling stupidly in the darkness now, feeling very much like a silly woman in love. Which she was. She hadn't intended to say, it though, for there was a natural order to such things, and she'd expected a kiss to follow handholding, and sex to follow the kiss, and sometime down the road the confessing of feelings was supposed to happen. For a naturally organized man who was sometimes infuriatingly logical and a stickler for the rules, she was surprised that he was getting everything out of order.

"Seeing as how you're doing everything backwards, you should know that I love you, too," she told him, making an effort at pretending that her heart wasn't pounding with nervousness.

He squeezed her. "I know."

"When?"

"Abby, while I'd love to discuss this, I'm beat. If you're not tired after walking for eight hours and then rifling through a bunker for another six, then I'm very much looking forward to the sex we're going to have."

Something about the word _sex_ coming from Marcus's lips sent a wave of heated desire through her, which in turn made her annoyed at him all over again. "You're an ass, Marcus."

"Shut up and go to sleep, Abby," he replied, though it was said with amusement.

So she did. Warm and safe tucked against Marcus, she closed her eyes, finding that she was tired after all. Sleep came, and sometime in the night they moved away from each other, because when she woke in the morning, she was laying on her back, and Marcus was sleeping on his side, facing her.

She reached out brushed a bit of hair back from his forehead, and he opened his eyes and smiled.

"About time you woke up," he said. She withdrew her hand, but he caught it and held onto it.

"Were you already awake?"

"Yes, but I thought watching you sleep was a bit creepy."

Letting go of her hand, he shifted closer to her, propping himself up on an elbow and looking down at her. He studied her face, his eyes drifting down to her lips. She knew what he was about, and her suspicions were confirmed when he reached out and touched her face, brushing a thumb over her lips.

"I thought you were content to take your sweet old time," she said.

"I am," was his reply, and he bent his head towards her.

And as he shifted, his foot hit a corner of the tent and the entire thing collapsed on top of them.

He pulled away from her with a curse, and then started laughing. Indignant at being interrupted, she opened her mouth to demand that he get back down and finish what he'd started, but found herself laughing instead. They must have looked ridiculous, crawling around trying to find the zipper to open the tent, disoriented with laughter. It was Abby who found it, but in her haste to open it, the zipper got stuck.

"Damn it," she said, fumbling with it, which just seemed to make it more stuck. "A hundred year old tent is a piece of crap. Big surprise."

"Take your time," was the reply from behind her.

"Are you looking at my ass?"

"It's kind of hard to miss, with you not wearing pants and all."

With a frustrated growl and a hard wrenching of the zipper, it finally came unstuck, and Abby crawled out into the cool morning air. It was just after dawn, and the dew on the wet grass immediately chilled her feet. Marcus poked his head out and looked at her, eyebrows raising in appreciation.

"Can you throw me my clothes?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Without a word, he went back in, and a few seconds later one of her boots flew out, followed in quick succession by the other one, as well as her pants, jacket, and bra. Snatching them up, she ran quickly to the bunker door and ducked inside, shivering. Plucking her socks out of her boots, she sighed in appreciation as she put them on. Her pants followed, and then her boots. Lastly, she turned her back to the door and took off her shirt to put her bra on, and that was when Marcus walked in.

"Sorry," he said.

"No you're not," she replied. Dew from the grass had soaked her bra in places, and she shivered when it was finally in place, the dampness cool against her skin. Her pants were in a similar condition. Quickly throwing her shirt and jacket on, she turned to face Marcus, who was leaning against the wall just inside the door, watching her.

"I'm wet because of you," she told him, warmer now that her clothes were on, but still cool in the spots where her wet clothes touched her skin.

Marcus looked amused.

"Not like that," she snapped.

"Not yet, anyway," was his reply, and with a chuckle he strode past her, lantern in hand. "Come on, let's grab some breakfast."

"No!" she called after him, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. "Marcus Kane, you get back here and kiss me!"

He threw a grin at her over his shoulder. "What's the matter? Afraid to kiss me instead?"

He was enjoying her torment, the sadistic bastard. While she hated that he knew how much she wanted him, she also loved the idea of a challenge. For if there was one thing Abby Griffin was good at, it was stubbornness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sharing a tent with your crush is one of the great lost arts of the world. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

"Get over here and kiss me. You want to."

"Is that an order, Chancellor?" Marcus teased.

They could see Camp Jaha through the trees, but Abby had paused where they were still concealed for the explicit purpose of trying to entice him to kiss her before heading into camp. She'd been giddy for the entire walk back, because her crush had confessed his love for her and their little game had made things all the more interesting.

"It's for security reasons," she replied, stepping toward him and tipping her head up. He gazed down at her, eyes twinkling, hands linked around her waist.

"I'd hate to compromise your safety," he replied, "but you shouldn't be kissing your head of security."

She contemplated doing it, but that was what he wanted. Now that she knew he'd been partly holding off kissing her in order to torment her, she wanted payback. She was certain that he wanted to tear her clothes off as much as she, and she was equally as certain that she could out-stubborn him and drive him to it.

"But there's so much in it for you," she said.

"Oh really? Like what?"

She rose to her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I'll let you be my slave."

"I'm already your slave," he whispered back, amusement in his voice.

Giving up for the time being, she shouldered her pack and took his hand. "Ready?"

"As ever."

It was nothing unusual for them to walk into camp hand-in-hand, but there were a few speculative glances anyway, which Abby pointedly ignored. Marcus kissed the back of her hand in parting, heading into the station to drop his supplies at the storage area while she went over to the medical tent with hers.

Inside, she found exactly thirteen people groaning in pain, taking up every cot and space on the floor, and a very frazzled Jackson darting between them.

Abby sighed. "Poison Ivy again?" she asked.

"Mushrooms," Jackson replied, glancing her way. "Better hope Clarke sends that field guide soon."

Exasperation filled Abby, because no matter how many bloody times she'd told people _not_ to eat random things they came across in the woods, they still did it, inevitably ending up in medical. Mushroom poisoning, at least, abated quickly and didn't require many supplies.

"Which foraging party?" she asked tiredly. At least the entire camp hadn't been poisoned. They were meticulous about double-checking gathered foods before using them.

"Group seven." Jackson removed a cold compress from one woman's head and checked the pulse of another.

"Group seven, you are in big trouble," Abby muttered, dropping her pack and going to work.

The rest of her day was spent in medical. They managed to send six patients home, while the rest they kept for the night to monitor their diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Those were things that they could treat with medicinal plants, thanks to Lincoln's tutorials last autumn. When the remaining patients were comfortable, Jackson threw her out, and she found Raven waiting outside for her.

"So?" Raven asked pointedly. "Anything interesting happen?"

She'd expected this. Not that Raven was a gossip, but like everyone else, she was well aware of the increasing intensity between Abby and Marcus. "Like what?"

"You know what. Come on, Abby."

Abby couldn't control the smile that came over her face. "There may have been some spooning."

Raven, instead of looking pleased, just looked at her with disbelief. "Spooning? That's it?"

"Yes. See-"

"What are you, twelve?" Raven said. "Did you play spin-the-bottle too? Holy shit, Abby, how could you sleep beside the man you've been drooling all over for months and not bang him?"

Abby tried to explain. "He was going to kiss me, but the tent collapsed, and then we ended up in this competition to see who would cave first, so..."

"I can't tell if that's childish, or masochistic," Raven said, her expression having gone from disbelief to disgust. Shaking her head, she turned and walked away.

With a shrug, Abby headed off to the cantina, stomach growling. Dusk had set in, and dinner hour had passed, which meant that she'd be eating the dregs, probably panther tail and overcooked roots. She was too hungry to care, but when she arrived at her usual table, she found Marcus sitting there with a plate of cold food, waiting for her.

"I was about to bring it to you," he said, pushing the plate at her as she sat down.

She swore she'd never loved him more than in that moment, looking down at the cold plate of food, a choice cut of panther steak and cooked vegetables. She looked from the plate to him, tired enough that her eyes were misty.

"I love you," she said.

"Are you crying?" he asked, with some amusement. He shoved a mug across to her. "Have some moonshine. You look tired."

She took too large of a swallow, the alcohol burning her throat and settling hard in her empty stomach. It was just what she needed, though, and she smiled gratefully as she slid the mug back to him.

"That doesn't count as a kiss," she said, digging into her meal.

"Of course not," he replied, taking a sip himself. "I didn't even put my tongue in your mouth."

A laugh escaped her, which caused Jasper, sitting at the next table, to glance their way. When Abby smiled politely at him, he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"I hear you had your hands full in medical," Marcus said. "How'd that go?"

"Oh, you know." She waved a hand. "Lectured them and worked on getting them hydrated. Put away the supplies I brought back. Thought about you naked."

He choked on his moonshine a little, and stared, eyebrows lifting. "Tell me more," he said.

"No." She pretended nonchalance, while silently enjoying herself. "Can't have you launching your rocket here at the table."

"That dirty, huh?"

She just smiled, taking great pleasure in teasing him. That was the best thing about the change in their relationship, because she could be more obvious about it now.

"You could help me launch it," he told her. "Crawl under the table. Nobody would notice."

"Everyone would notice," she replied, with a snort. "They'd probably cheer us on."

Finishing up the last of her dinner, she looked directly at Marcus while licking the tips of her fingers clean, taking more care than was necessary with her thumb, making it as suggestive as possible and very clear that she'd thought about going down on him more than once.

Marcus cleared his throat and shifted in his seat a little, glancing at Monty, who walked by and slid in next to Jasper at the next table. The two friends proceeded to whisper together, heads close together. Abby waited patiently until Marcus looked back at her, and then smiled sweetly at him.

He smiled back, just as sweetly. "You know, it wouldn't count as a kiss if it's below the waist."

Abby's reply was interrupted by Jasper at the next table.

"What?" Jasper said loudly. "They didn't even do it?"

"Shut up!" Monty hissed, his glance darting to Abby and Marcus. Abby pretended she didn't see. It wasn't the first time she'd overheard these sorts of conversations. The only people who wanted Abby and Marcus to do it more than them were the rest of their people, and while it was a little embarrassing, it was best to ignore it.

They managed to keep to polite conversation for the remainder of her dinner, though, and together finished off his moonshine before she decided to head to bed. She fully expected some kind of proposition or innuendo in parting, but instead he opted to walk her to her tent. She thought for sure that all her goading would have Marcus all over her, and she wasn't unsurprised when he tugged her into the shadows beside the station and leaned in, eyes burning with intensity and lust as he linked his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him, blaming the moonshine for how drunk it made her feel, even though she hadn't had that much of it.

His nose bumped hers, and her heart sped up, sure that her plan had worked and he was going to cave and kiss her senseless, but it moved along her cheek instead, the closeness of his breath making her shiver.

"Goodnight, Abby," he whispered in her ear, and then let her go.

She was outraged. "You son of a bitch."

"You'll have to try harder than that, darling," he said cheerfully, and it was too dark to tell, but she swore when he looked back at her, he winked. "I'll be in my tent if you feel like caving first."

She glared after him, too indignant to speak. Never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the camp wasn't 300% done with them before, they certainly will be now! ;)


	5. Chapter 5

_Captain Brock's stubble tickled the sensitive skin of Tessa's inner thigh, sending shivers down her legs and into the centre of her. A moan escaped her lips, which elicited a chuckle from her dear captain, whose tongue had now darted out and was tracing a line around her wet slit but evading the sensitive bud where it was most wanted. She squirmed, a pant escaping her lips, and in reply, the good captain dug his fingers into her thigh, warning her to obey him and be still._

_"That's right, sweetheart," he growled, hot breath caressing her sensitive skin. "Let me sail your ship."_

_"Oh captain!" she whimpered, as his tongue flicked lightly across her bud. "My captain!"_

Abby snorted, slamming the book shut and noting that it was well past time for her to get back to work. As stupid as the plot of the book was, Abby had devoured it in one sitting, and couldn't resist rereading the dirtiest scenes. That one was a particular favourite, but it got progressively cheesier toward the end when Tessa's orgasm was described using nautical terms.

It was a shame that it was the only dirty book in the pile. She'd made sure to check before handing the rest over to Mel, who wanted to start a library of sorts so that everyone would be able to access the books. Abby promised that they'd look for more on later expeditions to the mountain, though she doubted they'd find many until they started going through the living spaces, a task nobody was looking forward to.

"Abby?"

Abby shoved the book under her pillow just as Marcus poked his head into her tent.

"Hoping to catch me naked?" she asked, grabbing her boots. Break time was clearly over.

He grinned. "Your flap was partly open. Were you napping?"

"I was reading."

She watched his eyes flit around the small space. There was, of course, no book in sight, and she couldn't show it to him. When his eyes landed back on her, there was a speculative look in them, which she took to mean one of two things: that he knew it must be a dirty book, or that she'd smuggled the dirty drawings back from the mountain. Either way it worked to her advantage, she decided. Let him think it.

"Octavia sent this over from Tondc this afternoon," he said, handing her a note, folded neatly and sealed with wax.

Abby always felt a twist in her gut when Clarke sent the messages, never knowing what they might contain. They were infrequent and usually short, but Abby cherished any news from her baby girl, bad or good. Today it was good.

_Mom,_

_Hope you're well. I'm almost done drawing the field guide you requested and I'll have it sent to you via Tondc when it's done. Everything is going smoothly here and I hope to visit by the end of the summer if I can sneak away. Miss you. Love you. Say hi to Kane for me. Hope he's taking good care of you._

_Clarke_

Abby read it over twice more, searching for signs of distress in her daughter's handwriting, but of course finding none. She sounded happy and settled, which made Abby breathe a little easier at her being so far away. The new alliance was being held together by respect and threats: respect for Clarke as a formidable warrior, and threats to use the missiles in Mount Weather if anyone stepped out of line. Part of Abby and Marcus's job was to keep the mountain secure, not that the grounders could figure out the launch codes even if they could get inside.

"Any news?" Marcus asked.

"Not really," Abby replied. "She's still drawing up the field guide."

She would have handed it over for him to read, but _Say hi to Kane for me / Hope he's taking good care of you_ was a little embarrassing. Even so far away, Clarke knew what was up. Octavia was obviously a closet gossip was well, since news between Camp Jaha and Polis went through her.

"Care to grab a bite?"

Nodding, she left the note beside her bed and followed him out, and as they approached the cantina, an odd smell seemed to be coming from it. Sinclair and Jasper were standing near the counter, cookbook in hand. The book had come from the pile she'd brought back, and while she'd handed it over to Mel with the rest, had figured it would end up in the kitchens sooner or later. Having eaten little else but soy cubes their entire lives, more than a few Arkers had become obsessed with food. Sinclair was one of them.

"It's bread," Marcus said, handing her a chunk of... something.

"My idea," Sinclair said proudly. "Kane said the cooks could experiment once a week with a few of the more abundant supplies."

Jasper, who was one of the cooks and in charge of the food prep, looked proud, and Abby made a show of pretending that the bread wasn't as hard as a rock. It didn't taste all that bad, though.

"It's supposed to be lighter," Marcus said, biting into his own piece. "We'll get the hang of it eventually."

"Look at this," Sinclair said, thrusting the cookbook into Jasper's face. "Poached Sole with Hollandaise Sauce."

"Yeah, we don't have any of those ingredients," Jasper replied. "Better to go with Codfish Stew."

"How's the aquaponics system coming, Sinclair?" Abby asked, and the man looked up, expression guilty. She found Sinclair's interest in cooking amusing to no end, but it was looking very much like it was slowly becoming an obsession.

"Great," he replied, and after snapping the cookbook closed, he shoved it into Jasper's hands and hurried off. Jasper shrugged and went back into the kitchen area.

Abby looked at Marcus. "That book is never coming out of there, is it?"

"Probably not. It wasn't the one you were reading, was it?"

She smirked. "Far from it."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No. Care to interrogate me over it?"

"Absolutely." He stepped forward and began playing with a strand of her hair. "I can be very persuasive with my interrogation techniques, you know."

"Is that so?" She tipped her head up to smile at him.

He twisted the strand of hair around his finger, "Hmm, yes. They're quite unique, you see. First, I'd make very sure that you wanted to be interrogated."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

He had let go the strand of hair and was now trailing his knuckles lightly down her neck, making her shiver. "I'd start like this. I wouldn't be using my hands, though."

Damn the man anyway. The way he was touching her, fingers dancing past the hollow spot at the base of her throat and chasing along the collar of her shirt, made it easy to imagine his lips there instead. She felt her resolve slip just a little, and struggled to regain control of her thoughts, which were rapidly spiralling into forbidden territory.

"And then?" she asked. It came out a little hoarse.

His hand trailed over her shirt and along the lines of her breasts, then down the curve of her waist before pulling away. "Something like what we discussed when we were looking at those drawings."

Fuck.

She hated him. She loved him. She loved this crazy thing between them.

And she wanted him so fucking badly.

"Sounds torturous," she said, somehow managing to keep her tone casual.

"Oh, it is," he agreed. His eyes dropped to her lips. "Very torturous."

A throat cleared to their right. As one, they turned to see Jasper watching them with a mix of interest and amusement. "The cookbook says that oysters are an aphrodisiac," he said. "We could send to Luna for some, get the ball rolling here."

"Back to your post!" Marcus snapped.

"After you, Chancellor's pet," Jasper replied, ducking into the kitchen area again before Marcus could reply.

Marcus's face had gone red, which she found delightful. Chuckling, she reached up and pressed her palms to his cheeks. "Are you blushing?"

"Entirely your fault," he replied.

"I wasn't the one trying to make me horny in public."

"Are you sure about that?" He smiled down at her, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Dropping her hands, she rose to her tiptoes and planted a small kiss on his jawline. "Get back to work."

"As you wish."

"And that doesn't count!" she called, as he turned and strode away.

"Of course not!" he called back. "Wouldn't dream of ending our little game!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I laughed for a solid two minutes after writing the passage from Abby's book. I mean it's kind of a parody but it's also kind of how they are? :P


	6. Chapter 6

Abby had just missed his bucket wash, but she arrived in time to see Marcus standing in the yard, shirtless, skin damp as he dried in the early morning sun. Her heart did a flip-flop seeing him there, so alive. So virile. Earth had been good to his body, his muscles more defined, his skin tanned. As she walked closer, she noticed that he had headphones in, their cord running down to a small device in his hand. A music player? Or something else?

"Good morning, handsome," she said, coming to stand beside him.

Almost immediately, the headphones came off and in one quick motion, the whole business was in his pocket. He smiled at her, hair dripping beads of water onto his chest.

"Good morning, love," he said.

"What's that?" she asked, nodding toward his pocket.

"Just something I found in the mountain," was the reply.

"Yes, but what is it?"

"Did you sleep well?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, she noted the closure of the subject, but decided not to pursue it. "Actually, my bed was pretty cold. And lonely."

Another bead of water dripped to his chest. As it began to run down, she reached out and caught it with a finger, and brought the finger to her lips. Marcus went very still, and when she looked up, she found him gazing down at her, eyes intense, burning. She went for the kill.

"I mean, for awhile, at least," she said, reaching out and catching another drip, this time by his collarbone. "Then I got to thinking about you, and... well, things warmed up a little."

He drew in a breath, his eyes showing blatant lust. Marcus Kane was disciplined, certainly, but he was not immune to her intended effect. He wanted her, and badly, and it was the thought of breaking his self-imposed discipline that made their little competition all the more exhilarating for her.

"Have a good day, Marcus," she said cheerfully, turning on her heel and strolling away.

When she saw him later that day at the council meeting, they kept catching each other's gazes, and it was enough to make her want to cave. Their playful competition was fun, certainly, but she wanted the intensity in his eyes, too, wanted to feel how it projected to his lips and through his hands.

She would have kissed him after the council meeting, but Bellamy fell into step beside him, the two discussing the new cadets' training thus far. Marcus glanced back at her as he left the room, though, his eyes lingering on hers once more.

She was about to leave the room herself when her eyes caught sight of a cord hanging from the pocket of his jacket that he'd left thrown over the back of his seat. What was it about the little player that he didn't want her knowing? Curious, she plucked it out of the pocket, pausing to contemplate whether satisfying her need to know was worth violating his privacy. In the end, though, she guiltily put the earbuds in and swore that she would only listen to a few seconds.

She pressed play.

And the sounds of an old love song filled her ears, complete with swelling violins. And words.

_Rush, rush, hurry hurry lover come to me.._.

"What the hell, Marcus?" she said aloud, hitting stop and staring down at the thing for a befuddled moment before tearing the buds out of her ears and shoving the whole business back onto his pocket. She all but ran out, and halfway down the corridor a laugh burst from her lips, because she'd expected a raunchy book like she'd found, or even some kind of self-help audio book, but never in her wildest dreams had she expected Marcus to be listening to cheesy love songs.

And speaking of her raunchy, cheesy book... she'd left it in medical that morning, which was decidedly _not_ a good place for it. She hurried from the station, hiding her inner panic and silently cursing herself for bringing it out of the tent in the first place. It was one thing for a random patient to find it, but entirely another for Jackson to come across it, or worse...

Marcus.

Fuck. There he was, standing in the middle of the medical tent, book in hand, incredulity on his face as he looked up from it to her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, bolting toward him. He held the book over his head, though, well out of her reach. She had enough dignity to not try and leap for it like some kind of desperate little squirrel, but just barely.

" _The Pirate and the Lassie_?" he inquired, eyebrows raised.

"Give it back!"

But he spun away, bringing it down and flipping it open, a look of disbelief crossing his face, and then intrigue. He began reading one of the passages, holding one hand out to fend her off, and laughing. " _Captain Brock pressed his lips to Tessa's creamy breasts, her nipples hardened by the cool wind blowing through the rigging entangled in her fingers. She was at his mercy, unable to let go for fear of falling, and as he tore her dress further apart, she could only gasp in shock and pleasure. His hand slid beneath her skirts-_ "

"Kane, you stop reading that this instant!"

Marcus was laughing like he'd never stop. "Sex in the rigging of a pirate ship? How? Abby, seriously –no, I want to know!"

Finally snatching the book away, it was her turn to play keep-away, and while he followed her around the room, she taunted him with a taste of his own medicine.

"Rush, rush," she sang lightly.

"Where did you hear that?" he demanded, chasing her around a chair while she laughed. She was delighted to see that his face had turned a light shade of red. "Have you been snooping through my things?"

"Hurry, hurry, lover come to me!" she sang, waving the book tauntingly.

He lunged for her and tripped on the chair, sending him crashing into her. They fell to the floor in a heap, her still laughing and him shouting about hitting his shin, their limbs tangled and her book held out of his reach.

She was dimly aware, through their struggle and her laughter, of someone coming in. That awareness abruptly sharpened as a bucket of water was deliberately dumped on them.

It was cold water. She shouted, and Marcus gasped. She had barely a moment to gape at Jackson and his bucket before the younger man walked out just as quietly as he'd walked in, except for the fact that he was shaking his head and muttering something that sounded like _ridiculous_.

"Damn it," Abby said, shivering. She was soaked.

Marcus was looking down at her, goosebumps rising on his arms. The book was forgotten, sitting in a puddle beside them. Abby moved her hand to his arm, rubbing slowly to try and warm him, and Marcus's eyes moved to her chest, where the cold water had her nipples hard and horribly obvious.

He bent his head and put his lips over one of them.

The sensation of the heat of his mouth on her cold body had her gasping, and she arched up toward him. He responded with firmer pressure, kissing her through the fabric of her shirt, tongue darting out to tease at the nub, an action that had her instantly aroused. He lifted his head and made to move to the other side, but her eyes caught his, and he stopped.

A drop of water slid from the tip of his nose to splash on her neck, and she reached up and ran a hand through his wet hair. The goosebumps on his arm had subsided, but she kept her hand there on his arm anyway, lost in his gaze.

"I don't even care anymore," he said, voice hushed.

"Me neither."

She leaned up at the same time that he bent down, their lips meeting halfway. A shudder ran through her when they finally connected.

He was oh so gentle, almost chaste, like she was a fragile thing he was afraid of breaking. When she opened her mouth under his, though, the chasteness turned hard and passionate, his tongue sliding against hers and lighting fires throughout her body. A small gasp from her was answered with a groan, and her fingers tangled in his hair.

She wanted so, so much more. His lips were no longer enough, nor were his roaming hands and hard body against hers. She wanted all of him, to spend a day or a night peeling back his clothes and exploring every inch of his naked body. She told him so in half-whispers between kisses.

"Yes," he agreed breathlessly, his lips taking hers like he couldn't get enough. "Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I wanted their kiss to be mutual so that nobody "wins" so you can assume that after Marcus left the council meeting, his thoughts were mirroring hers (ie. screw it, I'm just gonna kiss her) and he went to medical to wait for her.
> 
> 2) The song is Rush Rush by Paula Abdul, which yes, is on a playlist on my own ipod that I've happily labelled "A Little Sappy". I like me a nice love song.
> 
> 3) I'm like, really proud of this chapter and the context in which she calls him Kane again. YAAAS!


	7. Chapter 7

"Night duty? Really?"

She was more irritated about it than she should have been, because reasonably, Marcus was head of security and self-sacrificing, and if David was out of the rotation, then it would have to be him. But still... surely there was someone else, at least for tonight. After their epic makeout session earlier, they were both burning for sex. In fact, that was why she thought he'd come back to medical, but after a brief kiss, he'd sprung this on her instead.

As ever, their people came first. She knew that. But at the moment, she hated it with all her being.

"It's only for a little while," he replied. "You're the one that told him to rest the wrist sprain."

David Miller had walked in with his injury about five minutes after Marcus had helped Abby up off the floor, and if the man had noticed their reddened lips and state of dishevelment, he didn't say. Abby was thankful for that, and examining the wrist had given her time to get a grip and unscramble her mind.

"Yes, well I didn't know you'd fill in for him," she replied testily. "What about Denby?"

"He's overseeing the day units while I run training with Bellamy."

"Why can't Bellamy do it?"

"Abby." He looked amused, and stepped forward to play with the Chancellor's pin on her jacket collar. "What's this really about?"

"Nothing! Go and do your night duty. Alone."

He lowered his voice, his eyes still showing amusement. "You could drop by and help me polish my gun."

"Sure. Or I could help you do it now, against the wall."

"We're in a tent," was Marcus's reply. "There are no walls."

"Really? Out of all the things you could say? God, you are so infuriatingly logical."

He grinned, and then leaned in, lowering his voice. "There isn't enough time to do all the things I want to do with you."

With that, he kissed her cheek and then turned on his heel and strode out, leaving her riled up and incredibly horny, her mind rapidly going through all the possibilities. He had always kept his thoughts to himself, though, so she had no idea what he had in mind. On a range of mild to depraved, it could be just about anything. She couldn't wait.

One way or another, she had to get that man alone.

It wasn't going to happen that night, though. An hour later he found her in the cantina, where she was eating her dinner with Raven and Wick. Because he was going to be up for half the night, he was heading to bed early. She smiled at him as he wove through the tables to her, returning her smile and when reaching her, leaning down and pecking her cheek.

"Goodnight," he said.

She reached up to grab him down to her for a real kiss, but his hand caught hers, pinning it to his chest. His heartbeat was steady underneath her palm. She could tell that he wasn't ready to kiss her in public yet, but as ever, she couldn't help pushing him a little.

"Give me something to dream about," she said, tipping her head up.

He squeezed her hand. "Next time."

"Get a room!" Jasper shouted.

"You can have mine!" someone else added, to guffaws and snickering.

"Jesus, even a tree would do," Wick muttered to Raven. "Can we send them out into the woods?"

Abby ignored them, but Marcus let go her hand and stepped back, wanting ever to be the professional. "Sleep well," he said. His eyes added the endearments he wouldn't say in front of their audience.

"You can borrow my book to pass the time tonight," she said. "It's still drying in medical."

"I might just do that." He winked at her, and was gone.

"So you finally kissed," Raven said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," Abby replied, and dug into the remainder of her food, her mind still on Marcus.

"Yeah the only thing worse than you two not kissing," Wick piped up, "is you two kissing."

"I could say the same thing about you," Abby shot back, which only made Wick laugh.

When she went to bed that night, she found the music player sitting neatly on her pillow, and it made her love him all the more. He'd be out in the dark, watching the forest and reading her book while she'd fall asleep to his music. Settling into bed, she put the earbuds in and hit the play button, closing her eyes and sighing tiredly.

And then smiling as the song filled her ears. She imagined him carefully choosing the song that she'd hear first. It was perfect.

_Chances are I'll see you_

_Somewhere in my dreams tonight_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Chances Are by Bob Seger and Martina McBride (one of my favourite romantic songs). The context of the song is different, but it kinda fits the scene too because it's about missing someone.


	8. Chapter 8

Marcus was staring at her across the council table, and it was making her hot.

He knew it, too. While Sinclair read his report on the progress of their building plans, Abby met Marcus's gaze, noting the hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth when she shifted in her chair. His eyes were deliberate as they dipped down her body, burning her as if he'd grazed her with his fingertips. Forcing her attention back to Sinclair's report, she pretended like they were back on the Ark, where she'd avoided looking at him out of anger.

It didn't work. His gaze was like a magnet, pulling her back in. This time she locked eyes with him and held his gaze, biting back her own smirk when he shifted in his chair ever so slightly. She stared at his lips deliberately, imagining them on hers again, and kissing all down her body. Marcus's eyes seemed to darken, as if he knew her thoughts.

"...and with the construction of the living huts on track, at this time we expect everything to be completed before winter," Sinclair finished.

Abby cleared her throat and forced her attention back to the council. "Thank you, Sinclair. Bellamy? What's the security report?"

"The secondary perimeter around the planting field is on schedule for building," Bellamy replied. "The new recruits are progressing well under the training provided by myself and Kane. No issues to report with the grounders."

There wouldn't be any issues with the grounders, not with Clarke leading them, but it was a necessary part of the weekly report anyway.

"Thank you," Abby said, steadfastly refusing to look at Marcus. "If there's nothing else anyone wants to discuss, I declare this meeting adjourned."

As the others left, Abby found herself looking at Marcus again. He'd gotten up and was standing by the door, smirking at her. She was a little annoyed with him, both for the wetness between her legs and her wandering thoughts and his goddamn eye-fucking gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that," she snapped, brushing past him. He fell into step beside her.

"Why? Having some trouble concentrating, Chancellor?"

"You are driving me crazy."

"I know."

He sounded so pleased with himself about it, too, which only irritated her further. If only he wasn't on night duty. If only there was more privacy in the camp, and not so many people seeking them out at all hours of the day with problem after problem after-

Grabbing his arm, she yanked him into the nearest room, a brief glance telling her it was empty. He kicked the door shut with his boot and advanced on her, gaze almost predatory now. Her back hit a table, and she grabbed the sides for support, tipping her chin up as he came to her, placing his hands over hers, pinning her there and then stopping when the heat of his body was close enough to mingle with the heat of hers.

"Someone could walk in here at any second," she told him.

"They could," he replied. His eyes went to her lips again. "It's only a kiss."

"No it's not," she replied, voice hushed. "It never is. It's never enough."

"Never," he whispered in agreement, bending his head to kiss her-

"FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKING GOD!" came a shout from the bed in the corner, and a second later a heap of blankets flew back, revealing a very pissed off Raven, who glared at them as she climbed to her feet.

Abby felt a blush heat her face. "Raven. Didn't see you there."

A bundle of wiring flew at them. "Just fuck, okay?" Raven shouted, snatching something else up as she headed for the door. "You are driving me and the entirety of the camp insane with this-" A pen flew at them. "-whatever the fuck it is-" The pen was followed by a metal cup. "-and I'm about three seconds away from locking you in this room together until you sex each other up in a big, dirty kind of way and QUIT FUCKING MAKING THE REST OF US WANT TO THROW UP!"

With that, she limped from the room, slamming the door behind her. Abby was horribly embarrassed, but Marcus started laughing. Wiggling from his grasp, she shook her head at him, determined now that she was not going to have sex with him in the engineering room, not when the entire camp knew what they were up to.

"Abby, come on-" Marcus said, still laughing.

"This is all your fault," she grumbled.

He caught her by the wrist by the door, and taking both in hand pinned them above her head and finally, _finally_ kissed her, body pressing against hers. She was trapped there with her back against the door, but never wanted to be anywhere else. She met his kisses with equal fervor, tongue gliding hot against his, hips pushing back against his, a moan rising from her throat and being met by one of his own.

"Nobody can walk in if we do it right here," he murmured, when he broke away to plant kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

"I'm not screwing you against the door in the engineering room," she managed, another moan escaping her as he reached down and cupped his hand between her legs.

"Are you sure about that?" The hand pressed ever so slightly. She knew he could feel the heat and dampness even though her pants, and found herself pressing his hips back against his hand.

"Yes," she breathed. His lips claimed hers again, his hand staying where it was, easing into a rhythm as she pushed against it. So engrossed was she in the kiss that she realized too late just how close she was to orgasm. She broke the kiss with a long, moaning gasp as it washed over her, body quavering, heart racing.

He stilled. "Did you just-?"

"No," she snapped. Never in her life was she ever going to admit that he'd made her come without ever having touched her skin.

Before he could say a word, she placed a hand against his chest and pushed him away, then wrenched open the door and marched out. He was right behind her, and while he didn't try and stop her from leaving, he did reach out and slap her right ass cheek before walking off down the hallway, whistling.

"Very funny, Marcus!" she called after him.

Outside, she made it halfway to the medical tent before being ambushed by Raven.

"What?" Abby sighed. "I'm sorry about what happened. It was unprofessional."

Raven waved a hand. "Already over it. You just missed Echo. She was here to trade. I didn't want to disturb you, but she said that Octavia wanted you to know that the disfigured guy is living in Tesla Station."

The disfigured guy had only been glimpsed on rare occasions, but Abby suspected that he wasn't alone, and one of her goals was to establish diplomatic relations with him and his people. The grounders wanted nothing to do with him on account of his deformity, but the guy lived in the forest and was potentially very useful in terms of knowledge.

"Living in Tesla Station?" she asked. "How long ago?"

"A couple weeks. It was a hunting party that saw him."

"Interesting." Already Abby's mind was planning an expedition. "Thank you, Raven."

"Always happy to help!" Raven replied cheerfully, and limped away.

It was a twelve hour walk to Tesla Station, which meant one night at the very least, and that was if they were feeling optimistic. It involved trekking around the lake where Mecha Station had landed, and if the spring runoff had caused flooding, then the journey would likely take longer. Abby began to assemble a team in her head, a small one so as not to intimidate the poor fellow.

She went to find Marcus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure that "disfigured guy" is the correct term for him, but "mutated guy" sounded terrible. Hope he gets a name in season 3.


	9. Chapter 9

"Harper did what?" Abby asked, looking up from adjusting her pack straps.

"Relapsed," Bellamy repeated. "She had a flashback and she's started having nightmares again. I can't allow her to handle firearms, and I can't allow her on the trip."

Abby thought it very odd that of the small team they'd assembled, two-thirds of them were now out of commission. Nathan had come down with a mysterious flu yesterday, and now Harper was having a PTSD relapse.

"Of course she'll stay," Marcus said, frowning. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm staying," Bellamy said flatly.

Abby frowned. "You too? Why?"

"I need to stay with Harper." Bellamy's voice had a strange tone to it, like he was reciting a script. "She's under my training. My responsibility."

"We understand," Marcus said, turning to Abby. "Are you okay with this?"

At least one night alone with Marcus? In a tent? With nobody around? Hell yes she was okay with it. In fact, she was sure that Raven or someone else was behind this whole thing and that there was nothing wrong with Nathan or Harper, and that Tesla Station would be empty. She wasn't about to tell Marcus that, though. He would never leave his duties to go on a trip with her if it weren't official business.

"I suppose the smaller the group the better," she replied. "We don't want to scare him off."

"Good." Marcus turned back to Bellamy. "We'll see you in a few days."

Bellamy nodded, wishing them good luck before the gate opened. Abby fell into step beside Marcus, taking his hand as they left the camp. When they entered the forest, Marcus dropped her hand and kept his gun at the ready. They didn't anticipate any problems with the grounders, but not all of the Trikru were happy with the new alliance.

And they walked, their conversation going from work to life on Earth to their childhood on the Ark. Around midday they stopped by a small stream for a rest and food, and as she was finishing the last of her food, she felt raindrops. Marcus started whistling.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked, amused. She'd never heard the man whistle in his entire life.

"It's nice to be out," he replied, cupping his hands to drink from the stream. "I enjoy it when water just falls from the sky."

"Are you sure it's not because you're getting laid tonight?"

"Am I?" He threw a grin over his shoulder at her, and then stood up and stretched.

She walked to him and pulled his head down, kissing him thoroughly and then putting her lips to his ear. "Short of injury or hypothermia, we're fucking tonight, Kane."

His hands moved to settle on her ass, pulling her against him. "I'd better be careful, then."

"You'd better," she said.

The marsh around the lake was drier than expected, so they chose to cut through it rather than making a loop around it. When the sky broke open and the rain began to fall in heavy, pounding sheets, they were far from the shelter of the trees, and in unspoken agreement, they picked up their pace. Even so, Abby felt the water soaking through her jacket, first at the seams and then spreading throughout, and when the skin beneath her clothes was wet, the cold began to seep into her body, down into her bones.

"No good!" she called to Marcus, who wasn't faring any better. He paused to stretch out a hand to her, and together they trudged through the marsh, the treeline taking forever to come closer, the rain sometimes abating a little but crashing down again in a roaring, angry spring storm.

By the time they reached the trees, they were shivering uncontrollably. The tent went up in record time, and in a flurry of activity, they were stripping off their wet clothes and zipping their sleeping bags together.

"Earth Skills 101," she said, as they climbed in. "Hurry. Hold me."

"I'm so cold," he said, slipping in beside her wearing only his underwear, just as she was. His body was icy as he wrapped himself around her. The sleeping bags were freezing. Everything was cold.

"This is only mild hypothermia," she said through chattering teeth. "We'll warm up soon."

And they did. The doctor in her was more concerned with Marcus's condition than her own, and she noted when he'd stopped shivering, but not herself. The sleeping bags trapped their body heat, though, and when she knew Marcus was okay and felt warm herself, she dozed off a little, the cold and adrenaline having sapped her energy.

When she woke, the first thing she noticed was that the rain was still falling. The second thing she noticed was that the light was falling, meaning it was dusk. And the third thing she noticed was that she was mostly naked in a sleeping bag with Marcus Kane, and he hadn't said a word or moved a damn muscle. Her own words from earlier came back to her, and she almost laughed aloud. Short of injury or hypothermia, indeed.

She was warm and comfortable in his arms, and now that the danger had passed, her mind wandered to the possibilities that the situation presented. Marcus was keeping his hips carefully away from hers, and under the pretense of stretching, she pushed her ass back against him and discovered why. Whether it was from having her mostly naked in his arms or because his thoughts were going in the same direction hers were, he had a raging hard-on.

Excellent.

Settling her ass against it, she waited for some acknowledgement of the situation, but none came. He knew how much she wanted him because she'd told him in ten different ways. When it came to steps in their relationship, however, he had left her to guide the way, despite her telling him outright that she wanted to fuck him. Hypothermia or not, though, being stuck in a tent with him wasn't a situation she was about to pass up again. She was a little surprised that he'd been such a gentleman last time, for she'd always thought he'd be all roughness and hard fucking. Maybe he was. There was only one way to find out.

"Marcus, take off your underwear," she said. Reaching down, she began to work her own off with one hand.

There was a long pause. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me."

Another pause, this time uncertain. "Ah... why?"

"Why do you think?"

"I'm fine, honestly," he said, and she heard him suck in a breath as she worked her underwear down, leaving just his between them.

"Well I'm not," she replied. Grabbing his hand, she guided it down between her legs, heard his breath catch when he found her soaking wet. She thought he might hesitate, but he slid a finger into her, and then another. Her body jerked as he curled them just so, applying pressure to her clit with his palm. A moan escaped her, and she rolled her hips, deliberately rubbing against his erection.

"Fuck, Abby," he hissed.

"That's the idea." Her voice was unsteady, the words coming out breathless. She'd always suspected that he was skilled with his hands, but _god_ -

He withdrew his hand, and as he fumbled with his underwear, she rubbed back against him, unable to contain the frenzy of anticipation building inside her. When she finally felt his skin burning against hers, her breath caught; she wanted him inside her _now_ -

"Be still," he murmured, his hand gripping her hip, nails digging into her skin. Even that she found arousing, and though she obeyed, a low moan emerged from the back of her throat, turning to a pant as he ran his tip along her entrance and finally slid into her.

His lips grazed her shoulder as he seated himself, his breathing unsteady. His hand snaked around again and settled between her legs, stroking her as he began to rock into her. Every inhalation was a gasp now, every exhalation a light cry, a moan, a prayer for more and for mercy.

"Warm now?" he whispered, his lips close to her ear, then pressing against her shoulder, mouth opening, hot breath teasing her skin.

"Yes," she moaned. Her body was on fire, within and without. Weeks and weeks she'd wanted this, and now that he was finally buried inside her, she knew she wasn't going to last long.

As the slow, tormenting rhythm went on, she lost herself in it, in him. His pace picked up ever so slightly as her orgasm began to build, her body trembling with every stroke as it neared. His hand between her legs never faltered, keeping up the same pace as the other, creating hot, burning coals from the flames, each breath and each thrust stoking them.

Her body shuddered with her release, the fire becoming waves within her, a cry escaping her lips. Her hand found his arm, her nails digging into his skin as the climax crashed through her, leaving her sweaty and sated and trembling in his arms. Her name escaped his lips in a gasp as he followed her, his wetness filling her, and seeping from her as he withdrew. He planted a kiss on her shoulder as if he were saying _mine_.

She turned in his arms, facing him. His eyes studied her, hazy with sleepiness and passion, a smile playing on his lips. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied, nudging her nose with his, leaning forward and kissing him lightly.

And they slept. Before she drifted off, she idly wondered if he was always like that, gentle and sweet and loving with sex, or if there was a hard passion in him as well, as she'd always suspected. In the morning, when he woke her with light kisses down her neck and his tongue teasing her nipples, she figured she didn't care, so long as he was touching her. He was going about it like he was worshipping her, and she felt like a goddess in his arms.

"Morning," he murmured, moving up to claim her lips.

"The rain stopped?" she asked. The air in the tent was somewhere above freezing but slightly less than warm, and judging by the light it was early morning.

"It did." His tongue dipped into her mouth, eliciting a moan.

Her next question was going to be whether they should start for Tesla Station immediately or not, but his hand slipped down her body, his fingers going to work teasing slow circles between her thighs. His kisses already had her more than ready for him, but he seemed content to take his time. Her mind went back to the night before, and she was sure that it was going to be another heady, slow lovemaking session, but then his hand abruptly withdrew, and gripping her waist, he rolled to his back and roughly pulled her atop him.

He was hard, as ready for her as she was to have him inside her, and she started to move to do so, but instead his hands gripped her by the back of her thighs and yanked her forward, up his body. It took her a second to register what he was aiming for, and she felt herself blush.

"Marcus, you don't have to-"

"I want to taste you," he murmured, "and there's only enough room in this tent to do it one way."

His eyes met hers, his hands rubbing her thighs. She could see that he wanted it, and something inside her gave way. To hell with it. If he wanted her to sit on his face, then she'd sit on his goddamned face. At her curt nod, he helped her ease forward the rest of the way, and after a bit of shifting, her knees were on either side of his head and his tongue was lavishing attention on her.

She'd never felt so incredibly sexy in her entire life.

"Fuck, Marcus," she panted, hips rolling to meet his laving, and when her ears caught the breathy groans coming from him, it sent her crashing toward orgasm, the force of it wracking her body with shuddering waves, a cry tearing from her throat. She had just enough sense to not collapse onto him, wiggling down his body again as the climax passed and finding him looking at her like he was so bloody pleased with himself.

"Enjoying yourself, Griffin?" he asked. His chest was heaving, but he wore a smile that looked a little smug.

"Oh, it's on," she said, flicking her hair back and leaning down to kiss him. Tasting herself on his lips only made her burn for him all the more, and she made a mental note to return the favour. Next time, though. This time-

Gone was the gentleness of before, his tongue plunging into her mouth with a roughness that spoke of hair pulling and hard fucking. He was gasping, moaning as their mouths crashed together, jerking a little when she took his bottom lip between her teeth briefly. She'd eased herself back by then, finding his erection and rubbing herself on it, rolling her hips as it slid along her wet folds.

He broke away with a string of curses, his hands gripping her hips, nails digging into her skin. Sitting up, she reached down and took him in hand, watching his head tip back and mouth fall open as she slowly stroked him.

"How many times have you thought about this, Marcus?" she asked, watching his eyes darken as she positioned him at her entrance and sank down onto him. "Hundreds?"

"Thousands," he groaned, as she rolled her hips. "Fuck, Abby. On the Ark, I thought it would shut you up-"

He thrust up into her, hard, and it felt so good, so-

He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, their lips colliding again. She moaned as he rolled her beneath him, and he was breathing heavily as he rocked into her slowly, agonizingly slowly. She'd thought she had him, but he was tormenting her all over again, sending fire throughout her body and short-circuiting her brain.

"-if I fucked your brains out," he went on, teeth nipping at her neck, the words a heady whisper.

He began to thrust into her steadily, and then hard and fast, and the sounds that spilled from her lips were almost embarrassing. She had never been one for loud sex, nor for begging and pleading, but he was a dark fantasy come to life, her dirty little secret that she'd kept for years. In all the times she'd pictured it, he had been the one to come undone, the one to lose himself, but in reality it was her. _God, Marcus, yes, please, harder-_

Her body shook with the force of her climax, a wail and a string of curses coming loose from her lips. _Abby_ was the only thing that fell from his as his body tensed with hers. Afterward he collapsed onto her, panting heavily, and reaching up, she tangled her fingers in his hair and kissed him.

"Thousands of times?" she asked.

"Hmm," was the reply, as he planted kisses on her cheeks, her jawline, her neck, and finally her ear. "Reality is better."

"You need to let me do some of the tormenting," she murmured.

"I don't think so." The smug smile was back. "This way you finally do as I say. I should have known all I had to do was get you naked to make you follow orders."

"I follow orders," she huffed. "When do you want to start for Tesla?"

"Never," he replied, capturing her lips again. "To hell with Tesla. That's an order, Chancellor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote the smutty scene a couple months ago after I was like 'but what if they got stuck in a tent together?' and at that time I didn't have much else written other than some of the funny scenes. So I feel like I've done all this building up to this scene and DEAR GOD I HOPE IT'S GOOD ENOUGH. 
> 
> Eeek!


	10. Chapter 10

"Do we have to go back?"

They could see Camp Jaha through the trees, but she wasn't quite ready to leave the sanctuary of the forest yet. Marcus slid his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against him.

"If we stay away any longer, they'll send out a search party," he replied.

She snorted. "I hate to break it to you, but they know exactly why we're late."

"We're late because of the weather."

"Is that what we're calling it?" She turned in his arms and kissed him. "Come on. Let's go."

They walked into camp with his arm slung over her shoulder. Wick, who was working on the gate's wiring, took one look at them and grinned like he knew exactly why they were three days late returning. Abby wondered if he and Raven had cooked up the scheme together.

"How was Tesla Station?" Wick asked, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Empty," Abby replied.

"Oh, too bad," he said. "The guy must have moved on."

"Must have," Abby replied, and shot a quick, thankful smile at him before striding after Marcus.

She didn't make it far. Exactly seven steps later, Jackson hurried over and hauled her off to medical, because someone from foraging group three had somehow managed to stab themselves in the leg with a knife. They had stupidly pulled the thing out of their calf and were now bleeding profusely. By the time she got the wound cleaned, stitched, and bandaged and the blood cleaned up, someone else walked in with a broken finger. That one she handed off to Jackson, because Monty came in wanting to know when the next salvage mission to Mount Weather was going to be, because he needed more parts for the data system he was setting up. Abby was sure they'd brought back plenty already, and in the ensuing dig through storage, they discovered a roof leak that had soaked a pile of blankets, which created a whole new set of problems.

By the time Abby was finished, Marcus had already gone to bed. It was half her fault that he was so tired, and she was tired as well, but she wanted to know who had filled in for his night shift while he was gone and why they couldn't still do it. It was ridiculous, and anyway, couldn't David supervise even with a sprained wrist?

"Marcus," she whispered, outside his tent.

"Hmm?" came the sleepy reply.

"David can still be on duty with a sprained wrist."

"He can't operate a gun," Marcus mumbled. "There's still a good possibility we could get attacked."

She sighed in frustration. "Why can't someone else do it?"

"Because handing my duties off to someone else so that I can have sex with my girlfriend is irresponsible."

As much as she hated it, he was right, and she silently admitted defeat, her mind changing gears.

"Girlfriend?" she inquired. The word gave her more pleasure than she'd ever admit.

"Are you coming in here or not?"

Smiling, she crawled into the tent and kicked off her outer layer of clothes and then squished herself into bed next to him. He flung an arm over her and in a few minutes was asleep, with her following awhile later. In the night, she half-woke to his departure, and in the morning when he came back to bed, she was leaving for the day.

After three days of this, her sexual frustration was at a boiling point, and every time they managed to steal as little as a few kisses, someone came interrupting with a problem. A sheet of siding fell off one of the new huts and gave Murphy a concussion. Someone ate a hallucinogenic mushroom. Mold was found on some of the new crops. They couldn't get the equilibrium quite right on the aquaponics system and all the fish were dying.

"At this rate, we'll never have sex again," Abby declared, walking into the council chamber one afternoon, where Marcus was going over Sinclair's building plans.

"Have you checked David's wrist lately?" Marcus asked. He sat back and looked at her.

"It's still swollen."

Marcus muttered something that she couldn't quite catch. She told herself that it wasn't forever, that sooner or later something had to give. God, even if she could get one bloody evening without a problem, she'd happily forfeit her dinner for alone time with Marcus before he went to bed at six o'clock. The longer the lack of alone time went on, the more her mind strayed to all the filthy things they could do together if it weren't for his bloody night duty and running the camp.

"It won't last forever," he said.

"Neither will I," she muttered, eyeing him speculatively and noting that they were alone for the moment. How much she could get away with, though.... "How's the building plans?"

"Living quarters are on track for- what are you doing?"

On impulse, she'd dropped to her knees and crawled under the table. He went very still when her hands went to the clasp of his pants.

"You've got to stop asking me that," she replied.

"Abby-" he said, sucking in a breath as her hand reached in and found his rapidly hardening shaft. "Oh, fuck."

As she stroked him to readiness, she wondered devilishly if this had been one of his fantasies as well. It gave her a strange sense of power to think that all those times he'd glared at her across this very table, he'd been picturing this very thing. Smiling to herself, she shifted closer and kissed the tip of his erection, enjoying his loud exhalation, and the soft groan as her tongue and then her lips slid over him, taking him far into her mouth. As her own hand slid down into her waistband, she thought about all the times she'd fantasized about this over the winter and how much she was going to enjoy it.

So of course that was when someone came down the fucking hallway.

"Abby, stop, someone's-"

She disengaged as the door flew open, praying that the table itself and the chairs opposite blocked her from view. She didn't dare move.

"Have you seen Sinclair?" Jasper asked. "See, I was looking through some of the food stock from Mount Weather, and I think we can make this dish he's been going on about, providing we're conservative with the ingredients, of course, but maybe it could be like a special occasion thing that we could plan-"

"Jasper," Marcus interrupted. "Get out."

"But-"

"Get. Out."

He left, and Marcus let out a tortured sound. Time was of the essence, so Abby, without missing a beat, went straight back to her ministrations, stroking herself in time to her bobbing head, answering his quiet pants with moans of her own. He reached down and touched her head when he was close, and she picked up her pace, and moments later he was exploding, gasping as he came, his fingers tangling in her hair. Swallowing, she disengaged, her mind now focused on getting herself off as well before anyone else came walking in.

"Hey," Marcus said softly. "Get up here."

She did, and after quickly tucking himself back into his pants, Marcus pulled her onto his lap, linking his arms around her waist. If anyone walked in, they'd simply see them in an embrace, the table blocking his hand which had deftly undone her pants and slid down to finish what she'd started.

"You're a nightmare," he whispered in her ear, his fingers teasing her to start, slow circles on her clit while she bit back a moan.

"You love it," she gasped. "Oh, hurry."

He did, picking up his pace. She turned his head and kissed him as she came, stifling her moan, body quivering in his arms. He smiled against her lips, his hand slowing its torment and then withdrawing to rest on her hip.

"We could go to the airlock later and you know, actually lock the door," she said.

"Ah, with that giant window. I'm not into exhibitionism." He paused. "And yes, I'm aware of the contradictory nature of that statement given what just occurred."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying their precious alone time while it lasted. They had exactly four minutes like that before Sinclair's wife found them, wanting someone to look at the crop irrigation system. She, at least, looked sympathetic as Abby and Marcus followed her out.

After that, Abby didn't see Marcus for the rest of the afternoon as he had gone to take stock of the dropship and what materials could be stripped from it to be used for building. Later, though, she was just finishing her dinner when he strode into the cantina, his eyes finding hers right away.

"Chancellor, I need to speak with you," he said, tone authoritative. "Alone."

The last word was said loudly, and very pointedly, and Abby wasn't sure what to think. There were more than a few raised eyebrows as she got up and followed him. He didn't say a word as they walked, but when they stopped outside his tent, he abruptly turned to face her. Several members of the guard were nearby.

"Marcus, what-"

Stepping towards her, he tipped her chin up with one hand and kissed her, open-mouthed and hot, a desperate, heavy thing that had a moan creeping up from the back of her throat and her insides turning to liquid. Breaking away from her, his eyes went over her shoulder, and following his gaze, she saw that the guardsmen had scattered and were gone. When she looked back at him, he was smiling.

"Well done," she said.

"I'm exhausted," he said, "but I need you."

She tipped her head up to kiss him again, smiling against his lips, knowing that this would probably be the last time they had such a blatant display of affection in public. Taking her hand, he tugged her to the tent, bending to unzip the door flap.

"Dr. Griffin?"

No. Abby froze, her heart dropping so fast that it felt like it fell right into her feet. Unwilling to let go of Marcus's hand, she turned to face Mel, who was cradling her left hand. Blood dripped through her fingers to land in the dirt.

Abby wanted to cry.

"I cut it on a knife," Mel said. "I think it needs stitches?"

"Where's Jackson?" Marcus asked. His grip on Abby's hand loosened, but she held tight, not quite willing to let go just yet.

"At the river. I'm sorry."

Abby bit back a frustrated sigh. "Go and wait for me in medical. I'll be there in a minute."

When she was gone, Abby looked apologetically at Marcus, who had stood up again and was looking at her with defeat. Wordlessly, she stepped into his arms, which came around her automatically, cradling her close.

"We'll never have sex again," she whispered.

He chuckled and kissed her temple. "We will. Go and do your duty, Dr. Griffin."


	11. Chapter 11

"And why would I do that?" Abby argued. Sinclair was unreasonably insistent that she move into the newly-vacated quarters inside the station, and she couldn't figure out why. He was up to something, that much was certain.

"As Chancellor, you need your rest," Sinclair replied. His expression was a little too neutral. A little too innocent.

"We're converting the rooms inside the station into community spaces."

"Not yet," he replied. "That's not going ahead until midsummer at the earliest, and on top of that, we're starting on the other end with your medical clinic."

"Surely there are others who need it more than I do."

Sinclair was calmly insistent. "No. We've done a vote and we want you to have it."

"You can't do a vote without me."

"It was a casual vote."

"What is this really about?"

He faltered for a moment. "We need your tent."

"For what? Contraband cooking experiments?"

Silence. She had him cornered, but he wasn't going to give.

"Abby," he said finally, "please consider taking the quarters."

"I'll think about it," she replied, and moved on.

It did cross her mind that having quarters inside the station would provide more than a little privacy... and a locking door. She wondered what Marcus would say about it, but he was away for the afternoon, running training exercises with Bellamy and the cadets out in the forest, so she put it out of her mind for the time being and focused on work.

She saw Marcus arriving back later that day, and they spotted each other across the camp. His face lit up when he saw her, and after handing off his gun, he made a beeline for her. Without missing a beat, he took her by the hand and led her around the side of the station.

"No more night duty," he said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her soundly.

She swore her heart skipped a beat. "If you're playing around with me right now, I will murder you," she told him.

He laughed. "I wouldn't dare."

"How did that come about?"

"Someone suggested to Bellamy that the cadets could do with some training after dark, and he approached me today about taking over with them until David's better."

It was then that it occurred to Abby that things suddenly falling into place was more than a little suspicious. She wondered if _someone_ was Sinclair, or multiple people. No, she'd have bets on Raven and Wick being involved as well.

He pulled her in for another kiss, his voice lowering. "So? Your tent or mine?"

"Mine," she replied immediately, a plan already forming in her head. "I've missed you."

"Likewise," he whispered.

It didn't take long to chat with Sinclair and then move her things into the station. The quarters were a small living space, but the bed was large enough for two and that was really all they needed at the moment anyway. She spent some time arranging her meager possessions, then tracked down a writing sheet and a marker. On it she wrote nothing more than the unit number and a heart drawn around it, and then left it just inside her tent. Then, after grabbing food and moonshine, she went back to wait.

Marcus showed up at seven o'clock with her note and... a flower.

"What is that for?" she asked, when he stepped into the room and handed it to her.

"It's what they used to do on Earth for dates," Marcus explained. "Nice quarters. How did this come about?"

"Sinclair. We've been set up. Apparently our desperation is a little more obvious than we thought."

"I see." He nodded toward the flower. "You'd better cherish it, because the cadets caught me picking it."

It was a daisy, and it smelled foul, but she set it on the table with love anyway. "Did they tease you?"

"You have no idea," he replied, closing the space between them. "I told them to have more respect for leadership and they told me that a daisy wasn't going to get me laid on account of the smell. I've half a mind to make them run drills for a month."

She laughed. "Oh, give them a break. You never know who might have had a part in this." She waved a hand to indicate the room.

Marcus's eyes moved around the small space, lingering on the bed. "So they gave us a love shack," he said.

"What?" Abby hadn't the faintest clue what he was talking about. "What the hell is a love shack?"

"It's a song. Do you still have that music player?"

Retrieving it from the single drawer in the room, she brought it over. He discarded his jacket before taking it from her, and she watched the intent expression on his face as he scrolled through the device. She liked that look on him.

"I'll want my book back eventually," she said.

"All in good time," he replied. "Captain Brock just saved Tessa from the pirates and I think it's going to get dirty again. Here."

She bit back a giggle as he offered her one of the earbuds. She had to step closer to him for it to reach, and it struck her as amusing that they finally had privacy and were in no hurry to tear each other's clothes off. Being with him like this though, laughing and talking about something other than work, was something to savour. Besides, they had a locked door and the entire night.

The song was catchy, but she started laughing at the line _I got me a car, it's as big as a whale_ and couldn't stop. Marcus tried to explain the song to her, but ended up laughing alongside her in the end. Her earbud fell out and he tried to catch it and failed, and they stumbled and then laughed all over again as his fell out, too.

His hand came to rest on her hip, lightly, but the touch was enough to send a rush of desire through her. Tipping her head up, she met his kiss with a groan, because it had been too long, and god she wanted him badly. His scent filled her nostrils, intoxicating, the hard planes of his body against hers making her long for his skin against hers.

With both hands now gripping her hips, he gently drove her backward to the bed, where her knees hit and she fell, dragging him down with her. Their clothes were quickly and frantically discarded, and at long last the heat of his skin was against hers. Everything was tender this time, their hands savouring every touch and their lips drawing lines like silk on each other's skin. His lips kissed a line down her throat and moved to her breasts, one and then the other, mouth open, tongue teasing her nipples. Her fingernails raked lines down his back and his arms as she whispered that she wanted him inside her, _now_.

He kissed his way back up while she reached down and took him gently in hand, guiding him to her entrance. His breath left him in a slow rush as he pushed into her, and she answered with a low moan, their eyes locking and somehow making every sensation more intense. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair, then grasped him gently by the back of the neck and pulled his lips down to hers again. The first thrust was slow, deliciously torturous, and a whimper escaped her throat. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she arched her back and bucked against him, wrenching a groan from him. Taking the hint, he picked up the pace.

His teeth nipped her shoulder and her neck as he thrust into her, harder and harder, faster and faster, her hips helping her meet his rhythm. She ground her hips against his, meeting his thrusts, trying to drive him to climax even as he drove her with the friction between their bodies. She cried out as the orgasm hit her, wave upon wave of pleasure shuddering through her body. Marcus's breath caught, his body tensing and a hoarse groan pulled from his throat as he followed her over the edge. They were left panting, shaking, sweat sticking their bodies together, one of his hands cupping her cheek as he gazed down at her with an expression that sent butterflies quivering through her stomach. She reached up and brushed a bit of hair from his brow.

He kissed her shoulder, and then her lips. "Love you," he murmured.

"Love you, too," she whispered, and although they'd said the words before, this time the emotion was behind them, written all over her face and his, reflected in each other's eyes and blazing in every touch.

He shifted off her. She moved to lay with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat thrum below her fingers, strong and alive.

Awhile later, he got up, pulling on his underwear and padding across the room to the food and drink she'd brought. She turned on her side to watch him, admiring his lean, muscular form, watching as he poured himself a cup of moonshine. He turned to look at her, leaning against the table, eyes trailing along her body as he sipped.

"You're a very beautiful woman, Abby," he said. "Always have been."

"I didn't know you were looking," she replied. "Just how long have you had a crush on me?"

A smile appeared on his face, but he said nothing, instead setting aside his cup and bending to pick the music player up off the floor.

"Come here," he said, as he untangled the cords.

She slid to the edge of the bed and found her underwear, pulling them on along with his shirt before crossing the room to him. He offered her one of the earbuds. She took it, and as she did, he gently grasped her arm and pulled her toward him. A wave of heat and some strong, intoxicating emotion washing through her, the mood in the room suddenly turning from lighthearted to serious, romantic. Fumbling a little, she placed the bud in her ear, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to his.

"What are we doing?" she asked. The mood seemed to call for hushed voices.

"Something we should have done when we were seventeen," he replied.

"Seventeen?" she asked. "That long?"

He just smiled and hit play, tucking the player into his pocket. He took hold of her. She hadn't danced in years, and the song was beautiful.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you_

_'Cause I know that you feel me somehow_

Seventeen was a long time ago. Back then Marcus had been someone on the outskirts of her circle of friends, a tall, brooding boy who at one time had been the centre of her world. Their childhood friendship had seemed so long ago even back then, and even as she'd fallen in love with Jake and had her daughter and felt no regret, a little part of her had always wondered _what if_.

"Why didn't you ever ask me to dance back then?" she asked softly, as they rocked gently to the song.

"You were in love with Jake. I just... wanted you to be happy."

"Why would you ever think that you couldn't make me happy?"

There was a beat of silence. His fingers moved on her back, slow circles back and forth. The touch sent electricity through her. The air between them seemed to thicken like nectar, intoxicating like moonshine. She wondered if she'd ever tire of the heady feeling of being drunk on love, and hoped she never would.

"Could I make you happy now?" he asked, his voice hushed, catching a little, giving away how important her answer was to him.

She pulled him down to kiss him, oh so gently. The music fell away.

"Yes," she said softly, pulling him backward towards the bed. "Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this one is Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls and is the single greatest love song of the 90's (FIGHT ME).
> 
> I struggled for awhile with how to end this fic, and I hope I've struck the appropriate mix of humour and romance along with a fitting conclusion. 
> 
> Lastly, thank you for all your wonderful comments. I'm going to get cheesy here for a second and say that you really make me believe in myself, and you have no idea how much I need that right now. So thank you. <3


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